BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The EU executive repeated a call on
Friday for EU members to adopt a unified stance on whaling,
saying pictures released by Australia of whales being killed in
the Southern Ocean illustrated the reality of Japanese hunting.

In a statement, the European Commission reiterated a plea
for Japan to halt a hunt for almost 1,000 minke and fin whales
in the Antarctic and for International Whaling Commission (IWC)
members to adhere to a 1986 whaling moratorium.

Australia on Thursday released pictures of whales being
killed by Japan, fuelling public anger at a hunt Japan says is
for scientific purposes.

The photos showed an adult minke whale and her calf being
towed up the rear ramp of a Japanese factory processing ship in
Antarctic waters. One image showed what appeared to be the
young whale's intestine spilling from an explosive harpoon
wound.

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EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said the images
"bring home the reality of whale hunting."

"This shows that more than ever the EU needs to be united
in opposing whaling," he said in a statement. "I call on Member
States to reach a common position to reinforce the efforts to
protect whales."

EU Agriculture Commissioner Joe Borg said whales were
protected by the IWC and EU law. "Scientific research must not
be used as a cover for continued whaling," he said.

The European Commission has been working to coordinate
European efforts to protect whales, but as the European Union
is not yet a party to the IWC, it cannot negotiate on behalf of
member states.

The Commission has been seeking a common stance ahead of
the next IWC meeting in June.

This would be based on support for the current moratorium
on commercial whaling, the setting up of whale sanctuaries and
encouraging non-lethal methods for collecting scientific data.

Whaling is not allowed in EU waters, but EU neighbors
Norway and Iceland are the only nations to allow "commercial"
whale hunts, despite the IWC moratorium.

Norway's Fisheries and Coastal Affairs Ministry said on
Friday it had set a commercial whaling quota of 1,052 minke
whales in 2008, unchanged from last year, drawing criticism
from environmental groups.

Last year Norway harpooned 597 minke whales, or 57 percent
of its quota, and its kills have remained below quota ceilings
since 2001, official figures show.